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Free AI courses
Everyday AI literacy & platforms — Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, NotebookLM, Perplexity, and NHS starters.
Prompt engineering, Python & prototyping — building safe educational and non-patient tools.
Health data science, ML & clinical safety — working with CSOs, IG teams, and evaluation frameworks.
Want to learn more about AI, data or building tools? These 100 free courses run from everyday AI platforms (Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, NotebookLM and Perplexity) and UK health starters through to advanced engineering. Each one is matched to the NCD learning stages: Foundation (using AI well), Builder (making things that don't touch patient data) and Advanced (building for real services, with governance). See Build with AI.
Star courses to build your own list. It's saved in this browser only, and you can download it to share with a supervisor or add to your CPD record.
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New to AI? These three free courses are a good first step for any nurse.
- Introduction to Data Science for Healthcare Professionals (FutureLearn (King's College London))
- Elements of AI (University of Helsinki & MinnaLearn)
- Intro to AI Ethics (Kaggle Learn)
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Showing 100 of 100 courses
Responsible AI Toolkit on King's College London / AI Nurses Network
King's College London / AI Nurses Network · Toolkit
Practical responsible-AI resource written for nurses.
Free
Introduction to Data Science for Healthcare Professionals on FutureLearn (King's College London)
FutureLearn (King's College London) · Online course
Recommended starter for staff with no data background. (Site blocks automated checks; confirm manually.)
Free access per KCL; FutureLearn may limit free access time. Check on sign-up · Check availability on the provider site
Introducing Data Science for Beginners on NHS Learning Hub (NHS Data and Analytics Academy)
NHS Learning Hub (NHS Data and Analytics Academy) · 10-week course, 20 lessons
NHS-hosted version of Microsoft's Data Science for Beginners: pandas, visualisation, ethics.
Free. Learning Hub or OpenAthens login
Elements of AI on University of Helsinki & MinnaLearn
University of Helsinki & MinnaLearn · Online course
Non-technical AI literacy: ideal first step for the whole team.
Free. Free certificate
Intro to AI Ethics on Kaggle Learn
Kaggle Learn · Interactive notebooks
Bias, fairness and model cards: links directly to anti-racist and inclusive AI practice.
Free. Kaggle account; free certificate
Data Visualization on Kaggle Learn
Kaggle Learn · Interactive notebooks
Present audit and workforce data clearly.
Free. Kaggle account; free certificate
Data Science for Beginners (source curriculum) on Microsoft (GitHub)
Microsoft (GitHub) · Open curriculum
Same curriculum as the NHS Learning Hub course, no login needed.
Free. Open source
Get started with Microsoft 365 Copilot on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Microsoft Copilot
Everyday prompting, summarising and drafting in the Copilot many NHS staff have at work.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
Craft effective prompts for Microsoft 365 Copilot on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Module · Microsoft Copilot
Short, practical guide to clear goals, context, sources and expectations in Copilot prompts.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
OpenAI Academy on OpenAI
OpenAI · Videos + guides · ChatGPT
Official OpenAI learning hub covering ChatGPT fundamentals, prompting, voice mode and study workflows (use with non-sensitive data only on personal accounts).
Free. Open access; account optional for some content
Anthropic Academy: AI Fluency & Claude Courses on Anthropic
Anthropic · Online courses + guides · Claude
Official Anthropic learning hub on collaborating thoughtfully with Claude, checking outputs and responsible AI fluency.
Free. No account needed to read
Introduction to Generative AI on Google Cloud Skills Boost
Google Cloud Skills Boost · Short course · Gemini
45-minute non-technical introduction to what generative AI is and how Google Gemini models work.
Free. Google account; free completion badge
Gemini Prompting Strategies & Multimodal Guide on Google for Developers
Google for Developers · Official guide · Gemini
Practical strategies for multimodal prompting (text, PDFs, images) and grounding responses in source documents.
Free. Open documentation, no account needed
NotebookLM Help & Study Guide on Google
Google · Official guide · Google NotebookLM
How to upload public guidelines, papers or lecture notes and query them with inline source citations.
Free. Open documentation, no account needed
Getting Started with Perplexity (Search & Citations) on Perplexity Help Center
Perplexity Help Center · Official guide · Perplexity
How AI-assisted search works, how to focus searches on academic/published sources, and why you must verify every linked citation.
Free. Open documentation, no account needed
Get Started with Python Programming: Part 1 - Fundamentals on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Python
First coding steps: automate repetitive admin such as tidying a rota or audit export.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
Python on Kaggle Learn
Kaggle Learn · Interactive notebooks · Python
Practise Python in the browser with no install, ideal on locked-down NHS laptops.
Free. Kaggle account; free certificate
Scientific Computing with Python on freeCodeCamp
freeCodeCamp · Project-based course · Python
Project-based practice for nurses who want a recognised free certificate.
Free. Free certification
Intro to SQL on Kaggle Learn
Kaggle Learn · Interactive notebooks · SQL
Query data the way clinical systems and data warehouses store it.
Free. Kaggle account; free certificate
Intro to SQL: Querying and managing data on Khan Academy
Khan Academy · Video + exercises · SQL
Gentle, video-led start for nurses new to databases.
Free. No account needed to watch
NumPy: the absolute basics for beginners on NumPy.org
NumPy.org · Official tutorial · NumPy
Number-crunching basics behind observations, scores and trends.
Free. Open documentation
Pandas on Kaggle Learn
Kaggle Learn · Interactive notebooks · Pandas
Spreadsheet-style data wrangling in code: clean, filter and summarise tables.
Free. Kaggle account; free certificate
Getting started tutorials on pandas.pydata.org
pandas.pydata.org · Official tutorial · Pandas
Reference tutorials that map Excel tasks to pandas equivalents.
Free. Open documentation
Try Jupyter (in-browser) on Project Jupyter
Project Jupyter · Browser sandbox · Jupyter
Try notebooks safely without IT installing software.
Free. No install or account
Welcome to Colaboratory on Google Colab
Google Colab · Notebook sandbox · Jupyter
Free hosted notebooks for practice with synthetic or public data only.
Free tier. Google account
Intro to Machine Learning on Kaggle Learn
Kaggle Learn · Interactive notebooks · Scikit-learn
Build a first predictive model and see where predictions go wrong.
Free. Kaggle account; free certificate
Introduction to machine learning concepts on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Module · Machine learning concepts
No-code grounding in what ML can and cannot do in care settings.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
Generative AI for Beginners on Microsoft (GitHub)
Microsoft (GitHub) · Open curriculum · Generative AI (general)
Prompting, RAG and responsible GenAI from first principles.
Free. Open source
Introduction to Microsoft Purview and Microsoft's privacy principles on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Microsoft Purview
Sensitivity labels and data protection: essential before any patient-adjacent build.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
Introduction to Microsoft Entra on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Microsoft Entra ID
Who can access what: identity is the first control in any NHS tool.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
Embrace responsible AI principles and practices on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Module · Responsible AI
Fairness, reliability, privacy, transparency and accountability.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
Innovation Scholars: AI and data science for healthcare on King's College London / AI Nurses Network
King's College London / AI Nurses Network · Self-paced programme
Nurse-focused: Python and R for health research, ML, NLP, ethics and information governance. Aligned to NHS England's AI capability framework.
Free. Registration on King's Health Partners e-learning
Get started with healthcare data solutions in Microsoft Fabric on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path
How FHIR and clinical data are modelled in Fabric.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
NHS-OA Community (formerly NHS-R Community) on NHS-OA Community
NHS-OA Community · Community + training
NHS open analytics community (formerly NHS-R) with free training, Coffee and Coding sessions and workshops.
Free resources and events
ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers on DeepLearning.AI & OpenAI
DeepLearning.AI & OpenAI · Short course · ChatGPT
Focused 90-minute course on summarising, transforming, structured outputs and iterative prompting.
Free. DeepLearning.AI account
OpenAI Cookbook on OpenAI (GitHub)
OpenAI (GitHub) · Open guides + notebooks · ChatGPT
Worked examples for prompt patterns, evaluation, guardrails and structured outputs.
Free. Open source, no account needed
Anthropic Prompt Engineering Interactive Tutorial on Anthropic (GitHub)
Anthropic (GitHub) · Open interactive notebooks · Claude
Nine-chapter step-by-step course on clear instructions, role prompting, avoiding hallucinations and complex multi-step tasks.
Free. Open source, no account needed to read
Relational Database on freeCodeCamp
freeCodeCamp · Project-based course · SQL
Build and query databases end to end, e.g. a mock training-compliance tracker.
Free. Free certification
Get started with Microsoft Fabric on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Microsoft Fabric
Understand the analytics platform many NHS organisations are adopting.
Free to study. Labs need a Fabric trial capacity
Databricks Free Edition on Databricks
Databricks · Free workspace + guides · Databricks
A free practice workspace for learning data engineering hands-on.
Free. No-cost workspace with sign-up
Feature Engineering on Kaggle Learn
Kaggle Learn · Interactive notebooks · Feature engineering
Turn raw clinical-style variables into useful, fair model inputs.
Free. Kaggle account; free certificate
Machine learning in Python with scikit-learn (MOOC) on Inria
Inria · Open MOOC · Scikit-learn
Taught by scikit-learn's own developers; strong on evaluating models honestly.
Free. Open online course
Machine Learning Crash Course on Google for Developers
Google for Developers · Video + exercises · Machine learning concepts
Includes fairness modules relevant to health inequalities.
Free. No account needed
Create machine learning models on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Azure Machine Learning
Train and compare models in Microsoft's ML platform.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
ML for Beginners (12-week curriculum) on Microsoft (GitHub)
Microsoft (GitHub) · Open curriculum · Azure Machine Learning
Structured 12-week classic ML curriculum; good for a study group.
Free. Open source
Intermediate Machine Learning (includes XGBoost) on Kaggle Learn
Kaggle Learn · Interactive notebooks · XGBoost
Handle missing values and data leakage, both common in health data.
Free. Kaggle account; free certificate
LLM Course on Hugging Face
Hugging Face · Open course · Hugging Face
Understand how large language models (like Copilot's) work under the hood.
Free. Hugging Face account optional
Get started with AI applications and agents on Azure on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Microsoft Foundry
Foundry is where Microsoft AI apps and agents are built; start here.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Develop generative AI apps in Azure on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Azure OpenAI
Build safe GenAI apps, e.g. a policy Q&A assistant, with content filters.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
AI Agents for Beginners on Microsoft (GitHub)
Microsoft (GitHub) · Open curriculum · Microsoft Agent Framework
Lesson-by-lesson intro to agent design patterns and trustworthy agents.
Free. Open source
Create a knowledge mining solution with Azure AI Search on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Module · Azure AI Search
Search across policies and guidelines: the backbone of grounded answers.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Implement a data science and machine learning solution for AI in Microsoft Fabric on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Microsoft Fabric
Prepare and govern data for AI in Fabric.
Free to study. Labs need a Fabric trial capacity
PostgreSQL Tutorial on Neon (PostgreSQL Tutorial)
Neon (PostgreSQL Tutorial) · Tutorial site · PostgreSQL
Widely used open-source database; core SQL skills transfer.
Free. Open tutorial
Train and track machine learning models with MLflow in Microsoft Fabric on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Module · MLflow
MLflow tracking inside Fabric.
Free to study. Labs need a Fabric trial capacity
Introduction to machine learning operations (MLOps) on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Azure Machine Learning
Why models need monitoring after go-live (links to DCB0129/0160 thinking).
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
GitHub Skills on GitHub
GitHub · Interactive repos · GitHub Actions
Learn version control and automation by doing, inside GitHub itself.
Free. GitHub account
Automate your workflow with GitHub Actions Part 1 of 2 on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · GitHub Actions
Automated testing and deployment for citizen-built tools.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
DevOps foundations: The core principles and practices on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Azure DevOps
Ways of working that keep shared tools safe and maintained.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
Get started with Docker on Docker docs
Docker docs · Official guide · Docker
Package a tool so it runs the same everywhere.
Free. Docker Personal is free
Build a containerized web application with Docker on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Module · Docker
Containers explained with a guided exercise.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
Guided Project: Build a simple website endpoint with Azure Functions on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Guided project · Azure Functions
Small serverless automations, e.g. a scheduled reminder job.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Govern and protect sensitive information in the age of AI on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Microsoft Purview
How Copilot and AI respect (or bypass) data permissions.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
Operationalize AI responsibly with Azure AI Foundry on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Responsible AI
Putting responsible AI into practice: content safety and evaluation.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
Machine Learning for Healthcare (6.S897) on MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare · University lectures
Clinical ML in depth: risk stratification, causal inference, fairness.
Free. Open courseware
Data integration at scale with Azure Data Factory on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Azure Data Factory
How data moves between systems: useful when scoping data flows for a DPIA.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
PySpark Getting Started on Apache Spark
Apache Spark · Official quickstart · PySpark
Working with very large datasets, such as population-level activity data.
Free. Open documentation
Use Apache Spark in Microsoft Fabric on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Module · PySpark
Spark inside Fabric notebooks, the route most NHS analysts will meet it.
Free to study. Labs need a Fabric trial capacity
Databricks Academy training catalogue on Databricks
Databricks · Course catalogue · Databricks
Pick only the free self-paced courses; check before enrolling.
Mixed. Filter to free self-paced; some courses and exams are paid
Feast Quickstart on Feast (open source)
Feast (open source) · Official quickstart · Feast
Feature stores keep model inputs consistent between training and live use.
Free. Open source
Get Started with XGBoost on XGBoost docs
XGBoost docs · Official quickstart · XGBoost
The model type behind many published risk-prediction tools.
Free. Open source
LightGBM Quick Start on LightGBM docs
LightGBM docs · Official quickstart · LightGBM
Fast gradient boosting for larger tabular datasets.
Free. Open source
Optuna Tutorial on Optuna docs
Optuna docs · Official tutorial · Optuna
Tune models systematically rather than by trial and error.
Free. Open source
Learn the Basics on PyTorch.org
PyTorch.org · Official tutorial · PyTorch
The framework behind most current imaging and language research.
Free. Open documentation
TensorFlow fundamentals on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · TensorFlow
Neural-network basics with guided notebooks.
Free. Microsoft account saves progress and badges
TensorFlow tutorials on TensorFlow.org
TensorFlow.org · Official tutorials · TensorFlow
Runnable examples including image classification.
Free. Run in Colab
ONNX Runtime tutorials on ONNX Runtime
ONNX Runtime · Official tutorials · ONNX
Run models efficiently on ordinary devices, e.g. offline on a ward tablet.
Free. Open source
Getting Started on DeepSpeed (Microsoft)
DeepSpeed (Microsoft) · Official quickstart · DeepSpeed
Specialist: large-model training. Awareness only for most nurses.
Free. Open source
Practical Deep Learning for Coders on fast.ai
fast.ai · Video course · Deep learning (general)
Top-down, practical deep learning with real projects.
Free. Open course
Develop AI agents on Azure on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Azure OpenAI
Agents that take actions: where human-in-the-loop design matters most.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Develop an AI agent with Microsoft Agent Framework on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Module · Microsoft Agent Framework
Hands-on with Microsoft's current agent SDK.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Semantic Kernel overview and docs on Microsoft Learn docs
Microsoft Learn docs · Official docs · Semantic Kernel
Microsoft Agent Framework builds on Semantic Kernel; check docs for migration notes.
Free. Open documentation
Introduction to LangGraph on LangChain Academy
LangChain Academy · Video + notebooks · LangGraph
Design multi-step agent workflows with clear checkpoints.
Free. Academy account
AI Agents in LangGraph on DeepLearning.AI
DeepLearning.AI · Short course · LangGraph
Short, focused intro to agents with human-in-the-loop steps.
Free. DeepLearning.AI account
AI Agents Course on Hugging Face
Hugging Face · Open course · Generative AI (general)
Open-model agents; complements the Microsoft route.
Free. Free certificate
Get started with Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Cosmos DB
Store app data for an AI assistant.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Implement vector search on Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Module · Cosmos DB
How an assistant finds the right policy paragraph to answer from.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Implement vector search with Azure Database for PostgreSQL on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Module · PostgreSQL
Semantic search with pgvector for retrieval-augmented answers.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Redis University on Redis
Redis · Course catalogue · Redis
Caching and fast lookups for responsive AI apps.
Free. Account needed
Redis as a vector database quick start on Redis docs
Redis docs · Official quickstart · Redis
Vector search quick start using Redis.
Free. Open documentation
MLflow Getting Started on MLflow
MLflow · Official quickstart · MLflow
Track model versions: an audit trail clinical safety officers will ask for.
Free. Open source
Operationalize machine learning models (MLOps) on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Azure Machine Learning
Automated, repeatable deployment of models.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
W&B Quickstart (now part of CoreWeave) on CoreWeave / Weights & Biases
CoreWeave / Weights & Biases · Official quickstart · Weights & Biases
Experiment tracking. W&B's old course pages now redirect here (CoreWeave).
Free tier. Account needed
MLOps Zoomcamp on DataTalksClub
DataTalksClub · Open course (videos + homework) · MLOps (general)
Full end-to-end MLOps course with a community.
Free. Open source
Deploy containers by using Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Azure Kubernetes Service
Specialist: large-scale hosting. Awareness level for most nurses.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
FastAPI Tutorial - User Guide on FastAPI
FastAPI · Official tutorial · FastAPI
Turn a Python model into a simple web service another app can call.
Free. Open source
Deploy and manage apps on Azure Container Apps on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Azure Container Apps
Simpler hosting route for small AI apps.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Build serverless AI backends with Azure Functions on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Module · Azure Functions
Serverless back ends for AI features.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Deploy and configure Azure Monitor on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Azure Monitor
Know when a live tool is failing before patients or staff notice.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Analyze app telemetry with logs and metrics on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Module · Application Insights
Query Application Insights logs and set alerts for AI apps.
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Protect Microsoft Foundry solutions by using Microsoft Defender for Cloud on Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn · Learning path · Defender for Cloud
Security posture for AI workloads (prompt injection, data leakage).
Free to study. Optional hands-on labs may need an Azure free account or sandbox
Links last checked 7 November 2026. Free at the time of checking: always confirm on the provider's site. Stack layers from Aiswarya Venkitesh's "Full AI/ML Engineer Stack 2026-27" infographic.
Courses you complete can count towards your NMC revalidation CPD hours if they're relevant to your practice. Keep a record of what you learned and how it applies to your role.